A collection of Web-exclusive stories about September 11 and its aftermath.

By Fast Company4 minute Read

In this period of great uncertainty, Fast Company recommits itself to the ideas and values that this enterprise has stood for over the past five years. Freedom to pursue our dreams and launch innovative products and services. Joy in our work and in our colleagues. And an optimism that the confluence of new technologies, new ways of working, and new approaches to power and leadership will move the world in a positive direction.

Business Fights Back

Who can blame people for feeling uneasy now in the workplace? One design visionary says this is the time to rethink the American office — and to design in a new look, feel, and sense of compassion. Anni Layne Rodgers

At the conference of the American Society of Industrial Security, companies showed off mission-critical technologies and wrestled with the challenges of hypergrowth. A dispatch from the anxiety economy. Scott Kirsner

Afghan businesses in the Fremont, California area are suffering fallout from the terrorist attacks. But patriotic Afghan-Americans are hopeful that customers will return before it’s too late. Fara Warner

Amid the rubble of lower Manhattan, companies are working miracles to get their operations back to work. Firsthand reports from the New York Board of Trade, a Verizon switching center at 140 West Street, and other places under (re)construction. Keith H. Hammonds

How do the owners and employees of a small restaurant in Brooklyn respond to a world-changing tragedy just a few miles away? Not by fleeing or closing, but by staying open for business and serving the needs of the neighborhood. Ron Lieber

SpectraSite is a small company with big real-estate holdings in the New York area: 1,200 rooftops. After September 11, SpectraSite did its part by searching for more rooftops to house antennas that may ease the city’s communications logjam. Charles Fishman

The FBI is turning to a small Boston software firm for help in transforming surveillance video into high-resolution images — and then using the pictures to help track terrorists. Call it the ultimate killer app. Linda Tischler

Community in Crisis

In the days and weeks following September 11, Fast Company readers from as far away as Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore expressed their revulsion and offered their support. Read their thoughts, and then add your own reflections and suggestions. Fast Company

The Fast Company readers’ network is working to implement long-term disaster-relief efforts that get to the real heart of community. Learn how 40,000 grassroots leaders are making a difference in New York and beyond. Anni Layne Rodgers

How do we do our jobs in light of the calamitous events of September 11 — events that are bound to change forever how we think about work, life, and what really matters? Where do we go from here? What’s important now? Fast Company

We’re hurt, angry, confused, sad. Where do we turn to make sense of what’s happened — and to move forward? To poets, songwriters, philosophers, and historical figures. Add your favorite quote here. Fast Company

The power of any community is a function of the strength of its connections. Join the global Fast Company community as it asks: Where do we go from here? What’s important now? How can we be of service? Fast Company

Reflections

The leader of Forrester Research, George F. Colony carries the weight of loss — of family members, Forrester’s president, and a friend aboard one of the hijacked flights. In a message to employees, Colony offered his perspective on grief. Fast Company

Forensic psychiatrist Roy Lubit has spent the past two weeks at ground zero, counseling survivors and advising companies with traumatized workers. Here’s his advice on how to move beyond despair and get back to work. Ron Lieber

Like many things, the notion of career planning and job hunting has changed dramatically since September 11. Here, acclaimed author Richard Bolles offers five strategies for finding meaningful work in the face of an economic recession and a national crisis. Anni Layne Rodgers

In the wake of September’s hijackings, San Francisco bureau chief George Anders wrote a piece assessing life after the attack for business travelers. Then he boarded a plane for New Jersey. Here’s his account. George Anders

Like the rest of the world, we at Fast Company are trying to make some sense of the horror that gripped our world last week. In an effort to understand the tragedy and its implications, we turned to mediation expert Susan Podziba. Anni Layne Rodgers